Flavoured heated tobacco products – like vapes – are likely to be banned after a proposal by the EU as part of its efforts to fight cancer.
A recent EU study showed a 10% increase in sales of heated tobacco products in more than five member nations, while heated tobacco products exceeded 2.5% of total sales of tobacco products overall across the region.
The proposal was in response to a noticeable increase in the sales of these products across the 27-nation bloc, reports The Independent.
The ban would not cover all vaping devices, only those delivering heated tobacco. Many e-cigarettes only contain nicotine.
Stella Kyriakides, the commissioner for health and food safety, said: “With nine out of 10 lung cancers caused by tobacco, we want to make smoking as unattractive as possible to protect the health of our citizens.”
Cancer was the second-leading cause of death in the bloc of 450m residents: about 1.3m cancer deaths and 3.5m new cases annually in the EU. The goal of the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, is to ensure that less than 5% of the population used tobacco by 2040.
The ban’s proposal now goes to member nations and European Parliament lawmakers for review.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Researchers expose the ‘pitiful quality’ of highly cited vaping studies
Canadian youth are vaping early and often – Heart and Stroke Foundation
E-cigarette use plummets among American youth – FDA survey
Confusion clouds FDA’s approach to e-cigarettes – POLITICO analysis